Why video is the tool that encourages reoccurring donors

Non-profit organizations rely on fundraising to achieve their goals. Any kind of gift is beneficial, but while one-time gifts are great, reoccurring gifts are so much better. Monthly gifts, even for a small amount help non-profit organizations. Receiving donations regularly from supporters increases revenue predictability and improve long term fundraising performance. Large one-time donations help immediately, but they leave future uncertainty. They also lead to lower odds that the donors will be retained over a period of time. Non-profit organizations can encourage recurring donors through the use of video. Video provides compelling imagery to audiences so that they can see where their money would go. This can be used to attract new donors as well as hold on to existing ones.

Video’s ability to show emotions can better persuade audiences to contribute to worthwhile causes. Its ability to convey rich information can create sympathy among audiences, motivating them to take action. Seeing is believing and videos allow views to see the real world situations of causes that need their help. Emotions make fundraising videos personal, which appeals to viewers’ altruistic sides. This makes donations more like helping a friend. Video is able do what text and images can’t by demonstrating believability. They are able to use the human face, which is perceived as a gathering point of credible information, to talk to audiences. Claims can be made more believable this way which helps persuade audience viewers of a worthy cause. Video can provide a big boost to attracting new donors. It allows people to see the benefits, tangible and intangible, their gifts can produce.

When audiences see that their gifts are making a difference, they are more motivated to become reoccurring donors. Just as video can create sympathy for causes requiring donors, it can also communicate gratitude towards past donors who have given gifts. Periodic videos can be produced for donors to provide them with status updates on where their gifts are going. Fundraising no longer has to have a disconnect between donors and the causes they are giving to. Technology allows donors to be easily kept in the loop. The cost of video production is also low today, allowing non-profit organizations to make the most of their money, while also reaching out to their supporters.

The popularity of online video opens the door to many promotional platforms for organizations that go down this road. Online video and social media sites allow organizations to reach out to more people through video. This also has a greater influence on younger generations which tend to have more of a presence on social media and YouTube. Swaying younger generations opens up untapped potential and also provides a source of reoccurring donors for years to come.

Millennials present a very different audience for non-profit organizations. They provide the potential for reoccurring donations for years to come, but appealing to them may be challenging. Millennials like to be involved with the causes they help. They prefer two-way communication instead of being fed information. Video and social provides powerful tools to achieve two-way communication from just about anywhere. Having a twitter presence and uploading videos can encourage supporters to share content, which creates more awareness.

Today video and the internet go hand-in-hand. The internet provides a place for videos to be widely shared and video attract people to the internet. For non-profits, videos can be a great way to attract visitors to their websites. Online revenue is a growing area for non-profit organizations and it provides opportunities for forming reoccurring donors. Online giving works very efficiently and can persuade people to sign-up for periodic withdraws from their bank accounts or credit cards. With video’s ability to keep donors updated on where their aid goes, a platform can be formed for fundraisers to achieve stable, predictable revenue.